She died 11 days later and shortly after, a large memorial went up at the scene.
More that a year later, the roadside memorial has been added to, and it has become the place where Rooks’ 9-year-old son, Dylan, goes to talk to his mother, according to his grandmother.
“It is the only place Dylan will go to. Not to his mother’s grave — to the memorial,” said Shannon Dethlefs, Rooks’ mother.
The site — which includes a teddy bear dressed in a construction vest mounted on a cross made of pieces of reflective barricade — has become a sacred place for the family, she said.
“We go to it a couple times a week and decorate it,” Dethlefs said. “People blow their horns at us and wave. I have never heard anyone say anything negative.”
So it came as a shock, she said, when she was told that township officials planned to remove the memorial.
“I went ballistic,” said Dethlefs, who is now raising her grandson. “That is the last place his mommy was alive and happy and working.”
There has been discussion among West Chester Twp. officials about the what to do with the memorial that has been up more than a year, according to Barb Wilson, township spokeswoman.
“We want the family to know we feel great compassion,” Wilson said. “The tragedy affected many people, including our police officers and first responders.”
Wilson said township officials are concerned the memorial may be a distraction in an area that is being developed and has a high level of traffic.
Christ Hospital is building an approximately 125,000-square-foot center at the growing Interstate 75 interchange with Ohio 129 and Liberty Way. The facility, which will include a freestanding emergency room and helicopter landing pad, will be located on about 17 acres off Cox Road.
And nearly 100 acres on the northeast corner of Liberty Way and Cox Road will be developed into a massive mixed use project anchored by TriHealth's new ambulatory care center.
Traffic in the area was also expected to more than double from 15,000 vehicles per day to 40,000 with last fall's opening of Liberty Center, according to the Butler County Engineer's Office.
“We don’t want another tragedy to happen because of distraction,” Wilson said, but she added there are no immediate plans to remove the memorial.
“We want a dialogue with the family,” she said, adding that the only fixtures allowed in public right-of-way areas are those related to utilities and public safety.
But the fate of the memorial may be in neither the family’s nor township’s control.
On Thursday, the township determined the memorial is located on private property owned by Tyler’s Place Associates, a real estate holdings company.
“With the memorial on private property, West Chester will hope to work with all involved to arrive at a positive outcome for the community,” Wilson said.
Dethlefs said she hopes the memorial remains as a reminder to drivers about what can happen if they are driving impaired, especially in a construction zone.
She is open to other options as well, such as a marker or smaller cross, “but it won’t be the same for Dylan. It just won’t,” she said.
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